Over half the heartland is ready for a disaster, so says a local survey.

Life in the Heartland surveyed residents about their overall emergency preparedness. Results showed 85 per cent were very or somewhat prepared to look after their home's immediate needs for 72 hours. 54 per cent were very or somewhat prepared to evacuate with an emergency kit and 37 per cent were aware of the Shelter in Place safety action.

"We wanted to obtain a snapshot of how ready people in our local communities are for emergencies. They survey results give us insight and help identify where safety education efforts should focus," said Brenda Gheran with Northeast Region Community Awareness Emergency Response (NRCAER).

They wanted to track the public's awareness of shelter in place, which is a safety action used to protect people from hazards by taking shelter in a safe area when evacuation is not an option.

"We do have a lot of hazardous materials that travel on roads and the rail and with the industries in the area, we want to know that people understand how to shelter in place," she said. "In many cases, people only think about emergencies when they are experiencing them. An effective response relies on each of us taking time before an emergency occurs, to know the risks, make a plan and have a kit."

Emergency Preparedness Week runs May 6-12 and the NRCAER will hold their annual emergency preparedness BBQ at the Station Square Co-op at 3:45 p.m. on May 9. There will be hot dogs, information and fire trucks on site.

The ten costliest disasters in Canada's history have occurred in Alberta.

For more emergency information visit the NRCAER's website. To watch a video on shelter in place click here.

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